Former Bear Gayle plans to build West Side gym

Former Chicago Bear Shaun Gayle plans to build a 25,000-square-foot gym in East Garfield Park, betting that the low-income West Side neighborhood is positioned for a rebound.

The one-story athletic facility in the 2800 block of West Taylor Street, which would cost nearly $1.3 million, would offer classes, competitive leagues and recreational programs for youth and adults, according to a city of Chicago staff report.

A city development panel last week agreed to sell Mr. Gayle's venture an empty building and 40 parking spaces on Taylor and Arthington streets for $108,000.

East Garfield Park, which has seen little in the way of new building for decades, is something of an island now, says Scott Maesel, executive managing director in the Chicago office of Sperry Van Ness LLC. “It's a bold and pioneering move at this stage,” he says.

Mr. Gayle says he rehabbed properties in Bucktown “before it was Bucktown.”

“Gentrification has slowed down a bit, but I do believe things will improve,” he says.

Membership fees would support the complex's operations. Mr. Gayle envisions high school and university athletes receiving professional-style training. “We're going to have some open time for area students to come and enjoy the facilities,” says Mr. Gayle, 50, cornerback on the 1985 Super Bowl champion Bears.

In August 2007, he purchased a three-story building at 2824 W. Taylor St. for $450,000, according to county records. That structure will hold offices and locker and weight rooms, according to the city report. The city later provided an $111,000 small-business improvement grant to rehab the building, a spokeswoman says.

To finance the project, Mr. Gayle's venture would invest $324,668 in equity, or 25 percent of the total, the city report says, while a $553,233 loan from Northbrook Bank & Trust Co. and a $420,769 loan from SomerCor 504 Inc., a Chicago nonprofit lender, would make up the remainder.

“We believe it's a positive enhancement to the community,” Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th, who represents the area in the City Council, says of the project.

A Northbrook executive declines to comment.

Asked about financing, Mr. Gayle says he is focused on acquiring the land first. To take effect, the property sale requires approval by the full City Council.